Both Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Bishop David Oyedepo seem to be
in agreement with Kutaddgu Bilig in some sort, written for Turkish ruler of the
Karakhanids in 1069, which said, "To control the state requires a large army. To
support the troops requires great wealth. To obtain this wealth the people must
be prosperous. For the people to be prosperous the laws must be just. If any one
of these is rejected the state will collapse."

The single most touching issue plaguing this
nation or any other nations of the world today is religious
crisis. Religious disharmony is so combustible to the extent
that it could consume any nation or people if not properly
managed. Political gladiators in history, especially in Nigeria
have manipulated the religious vulnerability of the people and
still doing so for political gains.

The People Democratic Party's (PDP) candidate,
Senator Iyiola Omisore in Osun State's 2014 Governorship
election, is frantically exploiting religious sentiments,
blackmail, and other incendiary mechanisms to huckwink the
electorate. One of such gimmicks sold to the general public is
the open allegation that Governor Rauf Aregbesola's
administration has not only blank out the Christian community in
the state in terms of patronage, but has made efforts to muscle
them out of existence.

The charge fall flat on its face. Out of 36 members of the
cabinet in the state, 26 are Christians; also, out of the 12
members representing Osun in the National Assembly, 6 of them
are Christians. The christians also had the majorities among the
local government chairnmen, which shows how committed the
governor is to bring about religious peace and harmony in the
state.

The allegation has been long in coming without thorough checks
by his critics on the the religious issue Governor Aregbesola's
administration inherited from the previous PDP government. It's
common knowledge - except for the mischievous band of frustrated
politicians who daily waxed in delutionism - that the governor
is out to Islamise the state. The charge bothers more on the
wearing of Hijab by the Muslim students in Christian schools.

The issue of Hijab would have been rested by now, if not for
want of excuse of failures on the part of PDP, which governed
the state for roughly eight years before Ogbeni retrieved his
stolen mandate from them. For the records, it was under Governor
Olagusoye Oyinlola's administration, a PDP Governor that the
Muslim community went to court and insisted on their wards
attending schools in their Islamic wears as part of the school
uniform. As we speak, the matter is still being pursued in the
court by the Muslim community. Dressing Ogbeni in a borrowed
robe to score cheap political points on the bases of religion
fanatisim is clearly a crass political opportunism and promotion
of falsehoods to a grand art.

On the other hand, the accusation that School Reclassification
process in the state didn't factor in the National School Policy
of 6 3 3 4 System is another tactical attempt to paint an
otherwise noble policy in a bad light. The need to provide world
class learning environment necessitates the ongoing building of
model elementary Schools across the state in accordance with the
UNESCO Schools Reclassification standard, which has since been
adopted by the US and other developed countries.

The elementary Schools are state-of the-arts structures that
accommodate 900 pupils of ages 6-9, in the first grade to the
fourth grade, i. e, Primaries 1-4. In the same vain, government
has built over 15 Middle Schools across the state. They are also
state-of-the-arts structures with accommodation provisions of
1,000 capacity for the students. The middle school is for the
fifth to the nineth grade which is the present primaries 5-6 and
the Junior Secondary School JSS 1-3 in the age ranges of 10-14
years. Students in the High School are within the age bracket of
15-17 years. This category is known as Grades 10-12. The High
School Infrastructural facilities will accommodate 3000
students.

It is in the light of these strides and other innumerable
achievements of Governor Rauf Aregbesola that the General
Overseer of the Living Faith Church a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel,
Bishop David Oyedepo, on Wednesday, 9th July, 2014, said the
infrastructural renewal, particularly the education revolution
in Osun deserves global applause.

Bishop Oyedepo gave his assessment in Osogbo, southwest Nigeria,
when he paid a courtesy call on the Governor of the State,
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The cleric noted that any governance
that is producing results and affecting the lives of vast
majority of the people must be deeply appreciated, irrespective
of religious inclination. The Bishop strongly appealed to
stakeholders to always be at the vanguard of peaceful
coexistence, noting that there is nothing like living in peace,
working in peace and promoting peace.

“There is nothing like peace in the whole world. We should
always walk towards whatever will promote peace and peaceful
coexistence among our people. Let us work for an atmosphere that
encourages peace, which engenders growth and development. This
is because life is all about promoting the wellbeing of the
people.

“I deeply appreciate the infrastructural development. Besides,
the education revolution is for us a great achievement. “I can
see the massive road construction going on. This is to the
benefit of the people. No policy can remove the roads. I am very
impressed,” Oyedepo said.

Observers of political development in Osun should know that
Governor Aregbesola’s administration has no political, religious
or tribal preference. It is absolutely impossible for Ogbeni to
be a religious fundamentalist owing to his all-faith inclusive
background. One cannot but wonders why the governor has been so
described by mischievous makers who erroneously tagged his
administration as pro-Islamic faith.

The only description that suits Aregbesola’s administration by
any forward looking individual, is zero tolerance for religious
cohabitation and opportunism. This largely accounted for near
total peace in the State. Aregbesola has always encouraged
people to practise whatever faith they profess, even within his
own immediate family.

“My upbringing in Yoruba setting has given no basis for
religious antagonism and mutual distrust. “It is impossible in
Yoruba milieu not to imbibe the culture of accommodation,
tolerance and understanding of the faith of others.

“I guide my faith as much as I fight for the protection of the
faith of others. If anyone would accuse me at all, it should be
that I have zero tolerance for fundamentalism. “Therefore, my
liberal disposition to religion is thus farther from the
erroneous impression of being an Islamic extremist,” Aregbesola
said.

It is clear the mischief makers has been engaged in a futile
battle to make up for their irredeemable battered image and
character - which is the ultimate determinant of the August 9th
election. The people of Osun will chose between sound character
and bloodletting criminal gang, between concrete development and
deceptive promise of development and people-oriented governance
and propergative ones.